Sunday January 26

Fancy something a little different to kickstart the season?

Why not take on the Woodcote CX sportive at the end of the month, and test your pace, performance and handling away from the comfort of completely tarmac-ed roads?

Organised by Southern Sportive, the event offers distances of 80km, 60km or 40km, all of which tackle the hills of Berkshire’s South Chilterns.

The longer route takes in takes in more than 1,200m of climbing on a range of surfaces from tarmacked roads to farm tracks and bridleways, with a maximum gradient of 14 per cent.

Setting off from Langtree School, Woodcote, the shorter routes also take in the demanding 14% ramps but with much less total climbing.

For more details of the routes, and how to enter, visit http://www.cxsportive.com/events/woodcote-cx-jan-2014/